Rearview mirror support



Oct. 9, 1951 J. w. 'AND'ERSON JR 2,511,002

REARVIEW MIRROR SUPPORT.

Filed March 29,' 195o IN VEN TOR.

Patented Oct. 9, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REARVIEW MIRROR SUPPORT Ilames W. Anderson, Jr., Detroit, Mich., assignor to Accessory Research Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application March 29', 195o, serial No. 152,600

4 Claims.

rior structure of the vehicle, such as a door or body panel, and a separable mirror supporting bracket, the two brackets having portions yadapted to be interengaged so as to force the miror bracket tightly against the vehicle body panel and clamp the same in position against displacement in any direction. In accordance with the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated the mirror supporting bracket is not only forced tightly against the body or door panel by a cam or wedging action but is also clamped to the mounting bracket, these operations being simultaneously accomplished through the medium -of a single screw threaded means.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved rear view mirror assembly embodying a cam bracket attachable to the vehicle and provided with a, cam portion inclined toward the vehicle, and also embodying a mirror supporting bracket having a hollow inner end or base adapted to t over the cam bracket against the vehicle, the mirror supporting bracket being provided with a cam follower portion projecting into the hollow base in position to be forced along the surface of said cam portion, thereby causing the mirror supporting bracket to be forced tightly against the body or door panel, the operating medium for effecting the foregoing preferably comprising a screw extending through a wall of the hollow base at an inconspicuous locality and screwed into the cam bracket.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rear View mirror assembly comprising a mirror supporting bracket and mounting means for the bracket adapted to be concealed by the latter when in position on the vehicle body, said mounting means and bracket having coacting portions effective to force the bracket tightly against the body and clamp it rigidly in position upon operating a single screw threaded element connecting the bracket and mounting means together.

Still another object is to provide a rear view mirror assembly of the foregoing character wherein the interior walls of the hollow base of the mirror supporting bracket are provided with spaced clamping portions `adapted to `engage di- 2 verging portions of the cam bracket so as to clamp the mirror bracket tightly against vertical displacement on the body or door panel during operation of the vehicle. Y v

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views. Y

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view partially in horizontal section showing a rear view mirror assembly constructed and mounted on a panel support in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section taken in vthe direction of the arrows substantially along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. f

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l. showing the assembly before being cammed tightly against the panel support.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a cam bracket embodying the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of v'construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, sincev the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseologyor terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to Fig. 1, the mirror assembly shown comprises a mirror head In with a reflecting element I2 adjustably mounted on the outer end of a mirror arm or bracket I4. The latter isprovided with a hollow elongated base portion Illa of U-section, Fig. 2, open at its inner end and adapted to rest solidly against a panel I6 which may comprise an exterior panel of an automobile body or door. The bracket I in the present instance is particularly designed to extend horizon tally outward from the panel I6 with the base portion Ida extending horizontally and longitudinally forward from the head I0, as for example Y along the automobile belt line. Each of the up per and lower interior walls of the base Ida is provided with a pair of integral interior bosses,

' comprising a wedging boss I8 and a guide boss or cam member 20 havingq a chamfered cam follower end 22. The bosses I8 and 20 oneach wall are spaced longitudinally of the vehicle and extend vehicle. Vmembers 2li-'and cam 'wal-l 24, the bosses it are forced along and in engagement with the divergoutward therefrom in the assembled position, with their interior edges parallel to and spaced vertically from the corresponding edges of the bosses on the other wall, Fig. 5.

Dimensioned to t within the hollow base I4a snugly between the vertically spaced bosses I8 is a cam bracket, Fig. 4, preferably formed from strip steel t provide a plane cam portion 24 terminating in a short forward leg 26 and a long rearward leg 28, which in turn terminate in forward and rearward extending footings 3G and 32. The latter are adapted to rest solidly against the panel I6 and to be rigidly secured thereto by screws 34, with the legs 2S, 28 extending outward and the cam portion 24 sloping inwardly and forwardly toward the panel I8. As indicated in Fig. 5, the upper and lower edges of the cam bracket are parallel with the exception of the edges 30a of the footing 3B which diverge slightly forwardly.

The upper yand lower edges of the cam bracket 'are each notched at 36 between the Voutermost end of the leg 28 and the rearmost end of the cam portion 24 to provide a pair of vertically spaced guide openings adapted for pass-age of the Aguide bosses or cam members 2li. Accordingly,` after securing :the cam bracket to the panel I6, the mirror bracket i4 vmay be readily moved directly toward the panel IE to enclose and conceal the cam'bracket, Fig. 3, by passing the guide bosses or cam members 29 through the notches 36 and sliding the wedging bosses I8 along the forward edges of the cam portion 24`above and below the latter. VThe upper and lower edges of the leg 2B also'serve as guides or locators forfthe vertically spaced cam members 20, locating the chamfered ends 22 after passage through the notches 36 at' a camming position adjacent the rearward end of thelcam portion 24 to be cammed thereby toward the 'panel I6 i upon forward movement of the bracket i4.

yedges of the cam portion 24, .guide the bracket I4 to the camming position adjacent the panel I6 and align the .screw holes 4! and 42 to facili- .tate the initial threading ofthe blind forward end of the screw shank into the threaded hole 42. Rearward .movement of the backet I 4 from the initial camming position prior to assembly of the screw 38 is prevented by engagement between the members 2U and the edges of the leg .28.

Upon tightening the screw 38, the bracket. I4 is .driven forwardly and the chamfered ends 22 of the cam members '20 are forced along the 'inclined cam wall 24 toward the panel I5 to cam and thereby draw the bracket base i4@ tightly against the panel. The leg 28 of the cam bracket possesses sufcient resiliency so as to exert a tensioning action on the screw 38 as it is driven through the threaded hole 42, thereby binding the screw within the hole and preventing the" screw from looseningduring operation of the During the oamming action between ing edges 30a of the ange 3B, thereby 'tightly clamping the flange 30 between said bosses and rigidly holding the bracket I4 -against vertical displacement on the door or body panel.

From the foregoing it will be seen that upon tightening the screw 38, the mirror bracket I4 will be firmly secured against movement in any direction relative to the cam bracket and the door or body panel. Both forward and rearward movement of the mirror bracket will be prevented by the opposed forces exerted by the screw 3S and cam 24. Moreover, the coaction of the cam 24 and the cam members 2G will serve to draw and clamp the bracket I4 tightly ag-anst the panel I5. In addition the bracket I4 will be rigidly held against vertical movement, i. e. movement along the panel i6, by the clamping action 'between `the edges 39a and the bosses I8.

Iclaim:

l. In a mirror assembly, a cam bracket attachable to a support, a mirror bracket, the two brackets having interengagea-ble cam portions adapted to cani the mirror bracket tightly against the support upon movement of the mirror lbracket in one direction along the support and also having interengageable wedge yportions adapted to hold the mirror bracket against movement relative to the cam bracket in ya direction along the support transverse to said :first .named direction, and screw means engageable with the two brackets to cause said movement by screw driven operation, ,said screw means having a threaded shank adapted to extend generally vparailel to said rst named direction andL accessible at one end adjacent an outer side of the mirror bracket for screw operation.

Y2. In a rear vision mirror assembly, a mirror bracket having a cam follower and spaced wedging members, .a cam bracket having a. cam surface and a wedging portion and being attachable to the support with the cam surface confronting the .support and inclined thereto, the mirror bracket being adapted Vto be Vremovably assembled adjacent the support with the follower engaging the cam surface intermediate the latter and the support and with the wedgi-ng portion spacing the wedging members, and means engageable with the two brackets and operative to effect movement of the follower along the cam ysurface toward the support, the wedging portion and members being cooperable in a wedge action upon said movement 'to bind the mirror bracket against movement in a direction along the cam surface perpendicular to the direction of inclination thereof toward the support.

3. In a rear view mirror assembly, a cam bracket having a cam surface and being attachable to a surf-ace of a vehicle with the cam surface inclined thereto, a mirror bracket having a hollow base adapted to overlie the bracket member and abut the vehicle surface and having a cam follower projecting into the hollow base to engage and ride along the cam surface, and screw means engageable with the two brackets to move the cam follower along the cam surface toward the support and thereby move the mirror bracket tightly against the vehicle surface, said screw means having an operating end extending exteriorly through a sidewall of the hollow mirror bracket.

4. In a means for vattaching a mirror bracket to a support, a cam brackethaving a camjsur'- face and a Ascrew threaded. means and being attachable to the support with the cam surface A'confror-iti'ng the Vsupport and inclined thereto 4and 5 with the axis of the screw means extending gen- REFERENCES CITED erauy tangentiauy of the support the cam sur' The following references are of record in the face terminating at its outer end in Ia guide openle of this partent: ing for passage of a cam follower of the mirror bracket therethrough, the cam bracket also hav- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS ing wedging surfaces transverse to the cam sur- Number Name Date face and diverging in the direction of inclination 2,138,647 Schoeld Nov. 29, 1938 of the latter toward the support. 2,309,333 Bahr Jan. 26, 1943 2,447,786 Anderson Aug. 24, 1948 JAMES W. ANDERSON, JR. 10 2,495,123 Morley Jan. 17, 1950 

